


Big Man in a Suit of Armour

by anonymousstoryperson



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony, Gen, Give Tony Stark a Break 2k19, References to the Iron Man movies, The Helicarrier, Tony Stark-centric, not really steve Friendly, only a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 19:13:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17473382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousstoryperson/pseuds/anonymousstoryperson
Summary: "Take that off and what are you?"If Tony had given a different answer.





	Big Man in a Suit of Armour

"Big man in a suit of armour," Captain America scoffed, circling Tony, almost smug in his assurance, "Take that off and what are you?"

His eyes were narrowed in the billionaire's direction, who finally noticed just how cold those baby blues were of his. His body was leaning over into his space as he challenged him, and even as he did so he still seemed to be looking down on him. Tony didn't know what footage he had been given, what exactly SHIELD had thought appropriate to show as an overview, but at this point he could guess that it was probably not much more than his Iron Man interview with Romanoff's assessment tagged on the end.

He could have just made a quip- just brush off the question with one of the many titles the magazines had came up with that summarised his life for the audience. He didn't even need to take this petty argument seriously. He was just trying to bait him, after all.

But this was the man who Howard had brushed him off for time and time again, who dear old dad had placed on the highest pedestal Tony had ever seen, for the sole purpose of making the inventor see how far he had to go to be worth such attention. This man who was spitting the words like an accusation, like a few minutes of video had told him everything about him he needed to know, like his story gave him reign to judge others who tried to do good in the world. This man, the famous Captain America, the legend who Howard never shut up about, was expecting a brush off answer because he didn't expect anything more. Wasn't expecting him to be good enough to be able to reply with anything else.

And Tony Stark lived to defy expectations.

"I'm the man who built the suit in the first place. From scraps. In a cave. Using a car battery to keep myself alive while terrorists breathed down my neck."

Steve blinked, rearing back like he'd been zapped. Guess he skipped that little tidbit of info, Tony thought as he stood tall, almost daring the super-soldier to look away as he pressed on, posture calm and tone biting.

"I'm the man who escaped that cave, improved the suit and went straight back because there were people there that couldn't do what I can, who needed help. I'm a man who's pulled his entire global business out of the weapons industry and still managed to maintain it as a multi-billion dollar company for clean energy, keeping every single one of the thousands of employees under my care in tact and safe. I'm a man who almost died at the hands of my most trusted family friend, and was willing to give my life to stop him using my tech to hurt more people. I'm the man who created a brand new element while half-dead thanks to palladium poisoning. I'm the man who made the suit as my only chance of survival, then made it better to protect the people my weapons had put in danger; who took responsibility for the mistakes I had made and did everything to put things right. I'm the man who, when asked to take the suit off, will just build. Another. Suit."

The room had gone quiet around him, the other arguments he had barely noticed fading away. Steve was blinking at him, unprepared for such an answer. Tony almost grinned- did he honestly think Fury would create this team just to add in a random rich guy with some toys?

"But since you're so keen, I'm going to throw this analogy back to you." He crossed his arms, "You're a big man with a serum that my father helped to give you. Take that away: what are you? Besides a scrawny asthmatic with a penchant for violence?"


End file.
